Around 400 IndiGo passengers traveling to Mumbai and New Delhi were reportedly stranded at Istanbul Airport in Turkey for over 12 hours without food or accommodation. Frustrated passengers expressed their anger on social media, while IndiGo attributed the delay to “operational reasons.”
On X, Parshwa Mehta shared that passengers were not given adequate accommodation, alternative flights, or any communication from IndiGo. Additionally, there was no compensation offered for the inconvenience.
“This delay isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a blatant failure of basic customer service. Where is the accountability? Where is the empathy for the passengers stranded overnight at the airport?” he said in a post on X.
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Mehta also pointed out that no IndiGo staff was available at the gate to explain the chaotic situation, leaving many passengers stranded in Istanbul. They only received updates from the Turkish Airlines crew. Additionally, passengers were granted access to a lounge that was far too small to accommodate everyone.
Flights to Delhi were reportedly delayed by nearly 20 hours. Anushri Bhansali shared that her flight to India was delayed twice by an hour, then unexpectedly canceled without any notice, and rescheduled 12 hours later.
“There’s no Indigo rep at the airport, no accommodation or meal vouchers, and I’m sick with a fever now! My worried parents can’t even get in touch with indigo via call-no one picked, and over 400 passengers are stuck with no support,” she added.
Other passengers also expressed their frustration online, criticizing the airline for its mishandling of the situation. They pointed out that IndiGo failed to provide any explanations or send a single representative to the Istanbul Airport to assist passengers.
“Worst flight and very irresponsible and unprofessional airline. I booked the flight from Edh to Delhi via istanbul . I have made stuck at the istanbul airport due to an indigo flight being overbooked,” wrote one user.
Some passengers even accused Turkish Airlines of mistreating the stranded travelers, with no IndiGo representatives present to offer assistance.
IndiGo among World’s Worst Airlines
IndiGo was ranked among the world’s worst airlines in the AirHelp Score Report 2024, coming in at 103rd place out of 109 airlines analysed. The report also placed Air India at 61st and AirAsia at 94th.
In response, IndiGo issued a statement criticizing the survey, pointing out that it did not disclose the sample size from India, nor did it explain the methodology or compensation guidelines used by the global aviation industry. The airline questioned the credibility of the report, emphasizing that it consistently ranks highly for punctuality and boasts the lowest customer complaint ratio for an airline of its size and scale.